The aim of the project was to make it possible for learners to experience work and/or learning abroad. This should enable them to develop personally, in many cases discover their independence and experience the challenges of reaching goals and solving problems in a country which is not their own and therefore often in unfamiliar surroundings. This should make it possible for them to broaden their professional horizons, increase their motivation and ultimately become more attractive to future employers. A second, smaller part of the project was for staff mobilities in the field of vocational education, which were to heighten the awareness of best practices and observe new and better ways to focus on skills and requirements pertinent to the professional world. These best practices should then be disseminated within the school, contributing to an overall improvement of the way we educate our students. By cooperating with European organisations and institutions, we wish to further internationalize our school to a greater extent on a professional training level, more so than is already the case within the language school. Collaborations are to be continued so that future students can benefit from an even more professional approach.
inlingua is part of a worldwide association of language schools, some of which also have a vocational college (particularly true of schools in Germany). In Ingolstadt, the inlingua vocational college for students seeking a professional career with languages trains foreign language correspondents who follow a curriculum laid down by the government. The curriculum includes at least two languages, economics, data processing and social studies. However, the entire course takes place within school in a classroom environment. Students have a set timetable, their progress is tested with written tests and other forms of educational assessment and whilst modern teaching methods now include a focus on digitalisation and communication (students work with laptops to simulate professional situations, learn to communicate using up-to-date means such as MS Teams and classrooms are equipped accordingly), the course does not yet include internships or foreign travel as an integral part. This means that students emerge from the course with excellent academic skills but have rarely had the opportunity to experience how the topics for which they have been prepared can be implemented in the world of work, which would improve their employability.